“Jon’s not had an easy road,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “And there’s no doubt he’s made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right. And, when he’s focused on nothing but training and fighting, he’s a talented and exciting fighter. I hope he’s able to turn this second chance into something positive.”

Machine plans to make the most of his second chance.

“My past has kind of shaped and molded who I’ve become, but the mistakes I’ve made in the past have definitely made me realize that I have to avoid certain situations in order to be the type of person I want to be,” War Machine said.

“It’s like I hit the rewind button,” War Machine said. “I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity. I’m just stoked to be back in the mix here with Bellator. I didn’t get released from Bellator because I sucked. I got released because I was making poor decisions in my life. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.” With the recent win over Huerta, War Machine is aware of what is on the line with Bellator, and is ready for this opportunity.

“I feel like I belong fighting with the best fighters in the world and Bellator has a bunch of them,” said War Machine. “I’m ready to fight the best guys again, and now I have that chance. I’m excited for the chance to prove myself and make up for a lot of the stupid stuff I’ve said and done in the past. I love my family and my teammates and I want to make them all proud of me. I want to show them what I’m truly capable of. I know there are a lot of kids and people I care about there watching me so I need to be a lot more careful about some of the choices I make. I just want to make everyone proud of me.”

War Machine originally signed with Bellator in 2009, but was released due to controversial statements he made about US President Barack Obama before he ever got his first fight in.

Info on his debut wasn’t included in the press release, but War Machine tweeted this morning that he will be competing in Bellator’s season six welterweight tournament next spring.